Down in New Orleans
by MysteryGirl7Freak
Summary: One-shot for Prismrain13's Reconnected Saga, featuring my OCs Kyra and Rusty in New Orleans. After a tough couple of days, a sulking Kyra goes to a certain diner where she meets one of the waitresses and gets much needed advice.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey-o! I'm back with another one-shot with everyone's favorite world traveler.**

 **?: The Doctor?**

 **Wha-who said that? What are you doing here? *No answer* That was weird. Anyway, it's another installment of Kyra and Rusty and this one takes place a year before the events of Reconnected. Which means her family is still missing, Luke might be sailing, and West is trapped in the Realm of Darkness. It's not one of Kyra's best days. However, she gets a prep talk and a new friend. Roll the story!**

* * *

 **Down in New Orleans**

Kyra stirred her ice tea idly with one finger moving the straw, the ice clinking against the glass. Rusty slept underneath her, curled up around her feet. Both of them were at a place called Duke's, sitting at one of the tables that were set up outside.

It was beautiful here in New Orleans. The sky was clear and jazz music wafted up from down the street, people performing and generally enjoying themselves and having fun. Not knowing how big the universe is and the darkness that lingers out there, even here. Of evil forces that want to consume worlds and having to worry about being in constant danger. Never knowing the feeling of having no home or family to go to. How she envied them.

"They would've love it here, Rusty," Kyra said softly. She spotted a little boy walking with his father no doubt. They both wore a catcher's glove, the boy holding a baseball in his other hand. Even though the sport wasn't one they were familiar with from their original world, she could imagine her father and Luke playing baseball. Just throwing the ball back and forth until they could do it without dropping it. She could imagine her mother dancing to the music, swinging Garnet back and forth with her until he got dizzy. Probably try and get her to dance with her. Then, she could imagine them going down to the docks and watch the lights from the steamboat, the stars reflecting in the water. And West would be there, too. Smiling and not lost like her family was. All of them together and happy.

Too bad it would just be in her imagination.

"Why did this happened to us?" Kyra questioned, not for the first time since her world's destruction from the darkness.

A clink of a dish being set in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts.

"There you go, miss."

Kyra glanced up at the waitress. She was close to her own age, perhaps a year older or so. She had dark skin and black haired tied up in a ponytail. "Thanks," Kyra murmured and turned her eyes back to her drink, still absentmindedly playing with the straw.

"Is everything ok?" The waitress asked, noticing her customer's gloomy mood.

"Yeah, fine. Always just fine," Kyra replied, not at all convincing that she was.

The waitress hesitated. She looked back at the door, then back to her customer. Making up her mind, she set down her tray and took a set opposite Kyra. "I know this isn't none of my business, but you look like you have a lot on your mind." Her warm, brown eyes trailed down to her patron's appearance. "And like you got into a mud fight with a gator."

Kyra glance down at herself. It was true that her appearance was in disarray. Mud caked her boots and half her pants, twigs stuck out of her hair, mud splatters were all over her shirt and face, and her sleeve on her jacket was torn. Before she came here, she spent about two or three days in that swamp (or was it call a bayou?) to find a voodoo priestess she heard about from one of the steamboat drivers. Her and Rusty had to endure mosquitos, idiot hunters, and alligators. Oh, have mercy, the alligators. Thank goodness she had more than just a bow and arrow or she might have lost a leg (or, worst yet, Rusty). Finally, they found the boat in the tree and met up with Mama Odie.

 _***Flashback***_

" _Please, ma'am. I've heard that you can help me."_

 _Kyra followed the 196-year-old, blind woman through her living quarters. Rusty walked behind her, albeit slower, observing the odd trinkets on the shelves. He paused momentarily at a jar full of eyes, which all turn as one to look at him. He moved a little quicker to catch up to the humans, Kyra still talking._

" _I've traveled very far to get here and almost got eaten by those ugly, large reptiles call gators to-"_

" _JUJU!" Mama Odie called out, a smiling snake coming to her side at once. The snake affectionately rubbed his head against the ancient woman's face as she talked to it sweetly as if he was a little puppy. Rusty gagged when the old woman started kissing the snake...tongue and all. Once she was done, she placed Juju around her shoulders and turned to Kyra, who had a hand to her face in a "I can't believe this lady" pose. "Now, have you figured out what you need?"_

 _Kyra took her hand away from her face and crossed her arms. "What I need is help finding my family-"_

 _And that's when she got smacked upside the head with a wooden spoon, Mama Odie telling her that she "ain't got the sense you was born with!" and she knew what she wanted, but blind to what she needs._

" _What you need is to see the things right in front of your nose before you miss them."_

 _The appearance of singing birds and Mama Odie's song outburst were the final straw, and girl and fox left in a hurry._

 _***Flashback***_

Kyra looked up, back at the waitress. After a moment, she sighed. "You could say that." She leaned back, slouching in her chair. "It's just...this day. I was hoping my luck was getting better."

"In the bayou?"

Kyra shrugged her shoulders. "I thought I would find something there. However, I got nothing for all my trouble." She exhaled, eyes downcast. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm just wasting my time with all this hard work. If it'll all just amount to nothing."

For a moment, everything was silent at that table. Then a comforting hand was laid on the disheveled girl. She looked up to see the waitress looking at her with a soft expression.

"I might not know what situation you're in, but I know how you feel. Every day, I work hard toward my goal and I worry about ending up with nothing in the end, just like you. But then I would remember my daddy, and how he'd always encourages me to keep going and telling me never let my fear and doubts get the best of me. To never lose sight of what is really important."

Images of West's face and her family's pop up in Kyra's thoughts. _What's really important is them. I can never give up on them._

Kyra smiled softly. "Thank you. I needed that."

The waitress smiled back before offering her hand. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Tiana."

Kyra took the offered hand and shook it in greeting. "Kyra, and this little guy down here is Rusty." She indicated down to the fox that was just waking up with a yawn. He crawled out from under the chair into view.

"He sure is a cute little guy," Tiana said.

Rusty ducked his head, seemingly bashful. He walked right into Tiana's outstretched hand, letting her fingers brush through his fur.

"He likes you," Kyra said.

Tiana chuckled. "I'm glad he approves." She gave his ear a quick scratch before standing up and picking up her tray. "I gotta get back to work."

Kyra nodded her understanding. "Thank you for cheering me up."

Tiana turned to go, but hesitated, thinking. She turned back. "My shift ends in an hour. If you want, I know someone who can fix that tear in your arm."

Kyra glanced to her ruined jacket. It was her favorite jacket. Maybe the sleeve could be saved, or the jacket could be rid of the sleeves altogether. No sleeves could be an improvement."Sure, why not."

"See you in an hour then."

Tiana gave Kyra and Rusty a little wave before going back into the diner. Kyra turned to Rusty as he set his forepaws up on the table and laid his head on the surface. Amused, she petted her furry companion's head. "We might not have found the answers we wanted, but at least we met someone nice and got a much needed motivational talk. Who knows? Maybe we'll go back to that crazy voodoo lady and get the help that we want without getting smack. No matter what, we're not giving up on them."

Rusty barked in agreement. Then, before Kyra could stop him, Rusty darted over and snatched the beignet right off her plate with his mouth.

"Rusty!" Kyra scolded as the fox jumped down from the table and quickly gobbled down the stolen treat. "That was my beignet!"

Rusty just gave her his most innocent look, white powder all over his nose and muzzle.

* * *

 **Ain't Rusty just a stinker? So there you have it. Be sure to review and, if you haven't already, check out Prismrain13's stories. And watch out for bees:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bonus chapter! A nice little Easter surprise, and what better way to celebrate Easter than with a villain who uses people's hopes and dreams to his advantage to try to scam them and bring them misery?**

 **...**

 **Probably better to spend it with an Australian Easter Bunny the size of a kangaroo and with the voice of Hugh Jackman or a simple egg hunt. But this time, this villain will not trick this person we're about to read about.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Disney or Prismrain13's OC, West. Just Kyra and Rusty. Enjoy:)**

* * *

 **Enemies From the Other Side**

Dusk was falling as Kyra and Rusty walked the streets of New Orleans. They were just finishing up restocking on supplies and planning to head out soon to the next world. Kyra took a deep breathe through her nose, taking in the smells of the city they spent a couple of weeks in.

She sighed. "I'm going to miss this place, Rusty. We should be sure to come back sometime and visit Tiana. I know you'll be wanting more of her beignets before we leave."

Rusty licked his lips, smiling as he thought about those delicious pastries before his nose twitched. He stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air, Kyra stopping as well.

"Something the matter, Rusty?" Kyra asked.

Rusty turned his head and growled, standing defensively. Kyra looked behind her, following his line of sight. There, at the end of the block, was a man leaning against the building. He was dressed in an array of purple, wore a necklace of bones and a skull was embroidered on his purple feathered top hat. He was looking right at them.

Kyra raised an eyebrow. _Why is that guy staring right at us?_

Rusty started barking, his fur raised on end. Kyra directed her attention to the bristled fox, putting a comforting hand on his head. "Easy, boy," she whispered, "We have to tread carefully, remember?"

Kyra straightened up only to nearly jump out of her skin. The man from across the street was standing right in front of them.

"Enchanté."

 _Ok, how did he manage to cross the street and get over here so fast?_

The strange man removed his hat, revealing the mess of hair on his head and twirling his hat skillfully on his finger before putting it back on. "A tip of the hat from Doctor Facilier. How ya doin'."

He handed Kyra a small business card. Silently, Kyra read it. "Tarot readings. Charms. Potions. Dreams made real?" She raised her eyebrow at that last one. She almost didn't noticed when the man came to her side and slid an arm around her shoulders. Rusty, after his initial shock wore off, followed after them with a wary look.

"If I were a bettin' man," Dr. Facilier started, walking them both down toward an alleyway, "and I'm not, I stay away from games of chance. I'd wager I was in the company of a traveler from among the stars."

Before he had a chance to lead them into the alley, Kyra ducked out of his arms and stepped away from him. "Yeah, you're not the first person here to tell me that. I met a lot of magic users who could sense I'm from another world. So, if you were trying to impress me, it didn't work."

After a second of slight surprise, Dr. Facilier chuckled. "Can't pull the wool ov'r your eyes. Smart gal." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a deck of cards. "Perhaps I can interest a smart gal like you into a card reading."

Kyra waved a dismissive hand at the fan out cards before her. "Sorry, not interested."

"Just take three."

"I said, no." Kyra pushed his card-wielding hand away, accidentally touching one of the cards which fell to the ground, face down. With a flick of his hand, the fan of cards disappeared in a blink of an eye before swiftly picking up the card that laid on the sidewalk. He took a look at it before flipping it around for Kyra to see, a smirk on his face. What she saw made her heart break.

It was an illustration of West, falling headfirst through the darkness, the yellow eyes of Heartless watching her descent from around the edges.

"Oh, this is interesting. You recently lost a friend to the darkness. One you saw as a sister to you and tried to protect. I guess that didn't go as well as you hoped."

The smirk was wiped off his face as he was shoved against a nearby wall of a brick building, an arm pressed roughly against his torso and fierce, amethyst eyes glaring at him. The fox at the girl's feet crouched, fur raised and teeth bared.

"Unless you want to know what it is like to be maimed by a fox mage, I suggest you shut up right now! Don't you ever dare talk about West!"

Kyra removed her arm from him, using all of her self-control to reign in her anger. She turned away and started walking when a hand grabbed her arm.

"I can reunite you, with all the people you have lost."

"Nice try," Kyra snarled, wrenching her arm out of his grasp, "But I know a con when I see one!"

Kyra started to storm off when he called out one more time.

"You're making a mistake, cher! Later on, you'd be wishin' you had my help!"

Kyra looked back, her eyes narrowed in a venomous glare. "The only thing I wish for is something you could never grant. Have a nice life."

With a huff, she turned her back on him and stomped away, Rusty growling at her side until the Shadow Man was out of sight.

* * *

 **Don't mess with Kyra, folks. Kyra is no fool to fall for Facilier's charismatic-ism, unlike Naveen.**

 **Naveen: Hey!**

 **Sorry man, but you were more gullible than a sixteen-year-old mermaid making a deal with a sea witch and selling her voice for a pair of legs to be with a human prince that she barely knew.**

 **Naveen: It all worked out in the end, didn't it?**

 **Yes, it did.**

 **Naveen: What would have happened if she did went into his emporium?**

 **Well, there might have been singing. He would have Kyra take three cards, read them-last them would have been her reunited with the people she lost-tricked her into shaking his hand, then sent her into the Realm of Darkness to be trapped forever.**

 **Naveen: Faldonza!**

 **Hey. This was around the time when Maleficent came back. Who's to say she didn't hired Facilier to get rid of Kyra should she ever come to New Orleans.**

 **Naveen: What does she have against Kyra?**

 **Not so much as Kyra as it is Luke. She'll take revenge any way she can get it. Then again, Facilier could just be messing with her because, well, it what he does? I'll leave it to the imagination. Happy Easter, everyone:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, it's me again! Didn't think I would come back, did ya? Well, surprise, surprise! I have a new chapter for this story. And this time, it's taking place during the events in chapter 73: Shattered Heart of Prismrain13's Reconnected. Shout out to Prism and Greymon for their support on this!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is Disney. Dragon is an OC created by Greymon** L **eader Batx flashpoint. The Reconnected story is Prismrain13's. Kyra is my OC, though. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Never Knew I Needed**

While Tiana and Naveen were talking together on top of the riverboat, Kyra and Dragon were having a conversation of their own on a different part of the riverboat. They sat where they climbed abroad the boat earlier, feet dangling over the water as soft jazz music drifted from somewhere near. Kyra breathed in the night air, fully enjoying the cool breeze. She exhaled. "I can't believe Naveen is going to propose to Tiana."

Dragon smiled, arms crossed on top of the railings. "I gotta say, I'm a little bit surprised. They haven't known each other that long."

Kyra looked over to the boy beside her. "That's nothing. When my dad met my mom, the first words he said to her was 'Will you marry me'?"

Dragon balked, almost hitting his head on the railing above him. "Really?"

Kyra shrugged. "Yeah. It's a funny story that begins with a fist fight."

Dragon thought for a moment. "So your dad was fighting some guy when he met your mom? Did he, like, came to her rescue when some jerk wouldn't leave her alone?"

Kyra shook her head. "No, nothing like that. In fact, he wasn't even part of the fight. He was at this town festival with one of his friends. After failing to win a stuffed teddy bear from a ring toss game, his friend spotted a crowd forming around two men fighting each other. And it looked like it was getting out of hand. So my dad rushed over to intervene. He tried to push them apart, and got two fists to the face for his trouble."

Dragon winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, and he was pretty much out of it."

"So then what happened?"

"While he was down on the ground, his friend and some of the festival's volunteers managed to break up the fight and those guys were kicked out. My mom rushed over to my father's side."

"Was she in charge of first aid there?"

"No, she worked at the petting zoo nearby. Someone was getting the first aid guy and she wanted to make sure he was ok. She got down and asked him if he was alright. And my dad, with blood on his face and his one eye already swelling, said 'Will you marry me?'"

"Did she say yes?" Dragon asked, intrigued.

Kyra blinked. "No. She said 'You probably have a concussion. Hold still.'"

Dragon couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips, earning him a playful glare from Kyra. She continued the story.

"Then a month later, they ran into each other at the farmer's market. My mom recognized him. 'How could I forget the man that proposed to me?' She told us that's what she said to him, and he was so embarrassed. They spent the rest of the day together before she asked him out to dinner. My dad was so glad she asked him, he was too scare to ask himself." Kyra shifted her gaze back to the water, a faraway look in her eyes. "I miss them telling their stories. I miss _them_ so much."

Both of them grew silent, a strange calm hanging over their heads. Dragon looked at Kyra solemnly, then reached out and took her hand in his. She squeezed back and his heart fluttered at her response. Something about her touch makes him feel warm and dizzy inside. Like laying in a meadow of flowers in the springtime or sitting near a comfortable fire in winter.

The light of the moon reflected in her eyes as she looked up. She broke the silence.

"In a weird way, Tiana and Naveen remind me of my parents. They don't always see eye to eye, but they got along. They supported each other and work together as a team. When I think of someone in love, my parents are the first examples that come to mind."

"I bet your parents would get along with them. Once we find them, we can bring them here."

Kyra raised an eyebrow at him. "We?"

Dragon stumbled. "Because, you know, after all this, you said I could travel with you. Remember?"

Kyra looked at him blankly before she started laughing. "Relax. I was just messing with you. Course we're gonna find them together, along with your parents and home. We're a team." Kyra lightly tapped his shoulder, breaking the hand holding. Dragon smiled albeit nervously.

Kyra propped her chin in her hand, leaning her arm against the railing, and let out a breath. Her expression grew serious as she watched the water reflecting the night sky.

"I didn't always believed I would find them. I would have dark days. There were a few times when I've decided to give up, to stop searching for my family. To move on and start anew. In the end, stopping my search was like trying to stop breathing. I couldn't survive like that. Finding them is the only thing I have left from my world. Besides Rusty. Everything else is gone. Forever. Sora got to go home, all of them did. Except for the few of us that didn't. For me, my family _is_ home." Kyra shook her head, straightening up. "Can't believe I'm telling you this. I never told anyone this."

"So why tell me?"

Kyra shrugged. "It's...easy to talk to you, I guess. And I guess you understand."

"Cause I'm in the same boat that you're in. Minus the whole memory loss thing."

"Yeah," she guessed, fiddling with the sleeve of her shirt. "Do you really not remember anything before Twilight Town?"

Dragon pondered for a moment, head tilted slightly up as he stare at the sky as if searching an answer amongst the space between the stars. "Well...I did have this dream once. In it, I was a little kid wrapped in this fuzzy blanket and I was sitting next to a lady. She had a smaller kid in her lap and we're all sitting in a bed and the lady is reading us a story. Maybe it was a memory. I can't be sure." He sighed, resting his chin atop his arms. "I wish I could remember something. Where I was from or who my family was. What my real name is. Just something a bit more."

Kyra put a comforting hand on his shoulder. To think she once thought having memory loss could be preferable than knowing what you have lost. Her and Dragon's situations were different, but there was sorrow there all the same. Memory or no memory.

Dragon's light brown eyes met her amethyst-purple ones, the corner of his mouth lifting.

She smiled, before feeling a bit flush. Clearing her throat, she took her hand away and bit the inside of her lip. "So.." Kyra started, racking her brain for something to say, "have you ever dated?"

Dragon bumped his head against the handrail above him. "What?"

Kyra mentally slap herself. Why would she ask a question like that?

"Just curious, because we've been talking about my parents dating. Just popped into my head," Kyra explained, acting casual.

Dragon rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy. "Well, um...uh...once, kinda. With Olette."

Kyra raised an eyebrow. "You mean the girl in orange?"

"It was just the one date. To get me out of the dojo. My friends back home kinda think I'm a hermit."

"Are you?"

Dragon twiddled his thumbs, staring at them intently. "N-not really. I was just really busy with training back at Twilight Town, then when my master left I had to take care of the dojo, work part-time, and I tend to read a lot. Plus, I sorta had to train myself. I didn't date and I didn't go out much." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess Hayner, Pence, and Olette weren't completely wrong. I kinda did became a hermit when Golbez left. It was difficult for me to maintain relationships and I just...I felt safe in that dojo. I didn't mean to let so much time pass me by."

Crickets chirped somewhere off in the distance, mixing in with the sounds of music. A breeze ruffled through their hair.

"I think you're making up for all that time now," Kyra said, filling the pause in their conversation.

Dragon felt his ears burned up. "I am?"

Kyra nodded."Yeah. Venturing out into the worlds count as going out."

"Oh. Right," Dragon replied, avoiding her gaze.

A silence grew between them. Again.

"Have you dated a lot?"

Kyra's eyes widen while Dragon slapped a hand over his mouth, both surprised at the rushed words. Kyra ducked her head down and hid her face behind a curtain of black hair while Dragon, well, he froze in place.

 _What's wrong with me?_ Dragon thought furiously. _Why did I phrase it like that?_

"Yes."

That pulled Dragon back to reality. "What?"

"Yes, I've dated before," Kyra answered.

"Oh."

"Yep."

"Like, a lot?"

"Just enough." Kyra pushed her hair back, looking straight ahead. "Didn't go on many second dates. A good night kiss and I would be off to the next world. Most of the time I left before that. Only one or two of them turned into a relationship. There was this one time I stayed longer on this world because of this one guy. We dated for a while and..." Kyra grew quiet with the last words before stopping, her eyes welling up.

"And what?"

Her eyes closed, heartache contorting her face. "I can't talk about this anymore."

Guilt built up in Dragon's chest. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"You don't have to apologize. It's just..." She sighed, staring at her reflection as though it was a different face she was seeing. "Word of advice: When you fall in love for the first time, don't expect that first love to last forever. It's rare when that first person will be the one you'll be with for the rest of your life. It's rare for that to happen," she said firmly, as if she was trying to convince herself instead of him.

Dragon turned his gaze away from her, his heart falling all the way down to his shoes. He shouldn't have asked. He didn't know how much pain a question like that would have caused her if he knew. _I am such an idiot._

Kyra, meanwhile, berated herself for bringing up the topic of dating in the first place. She shouldn't have brought up that conversation. Two years, and she still can't think of him without reopening the wound it left. It hurts, but she made her choice. She needed to change the subject fast.

Then she spotted the rundown building for sale across the water. She pointed to it. "See that over there? That's going to be Tiana's one day."

Dragon followed her line of sight. He raised an eyebrow. "That abandoned building?"

"It needs a bit of fixing up, but it's going to be her dream restaurant. She had her eye on it for a while. Showed it to me the last time I was here." Kyra crossed her arms over the railing and rested her chin on them. "Once it's open, she promised to give me the best seat in the house."

They watched as they past by Tiana's future restaurant, a thought slowly forming in Dragon's head.

"Say, Kyra...what's your dream?"

Kyra blinked. "My dream?"

"Yeah. After you found your family, what are you going to do?"

Kyra leaned back, gripping the railing and staring at the ceiling of the boat. She took a breath. "I... Haven't really thought about it. For eight years, my only goal was finding my family. I haven't thought about dreams or what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. But, you know, it's hard enough making plans for the future without having to worry about missing family members, having no home, and a homicidal psychopath bent on taking over the universe."

"Point taken."

Kyra tilted her head, mulling it over. "I suppose, once it's all over and there's some normalcy in my life, I'll figure it out. What about you?"

Dragon scratched his ear. "Well..growing up, I've always wanted to travel. See new places and help people in need. Most of all, I didn't want to be...alone anymore."

Kyra stared at him before giving him a playful smile. "Looks like you're living your dream."

Dragon ducked his head, but his face was beaming. Just then, the ship's horn blarred.

Kyra cleared her throat, standing up. She grabbed her red jacket she had draped over a barrel and slipped it on. "Guess we've reached our stop. Best to meet up with the others."

Dragon gestured for her to go on ahead. "I'll be right behind you. I just need a second."

Kyra nodded. "Sure thing. Don't take too long now."

Dragon watched her walk away and disappeared around a bend. He sighed, wistfully looking back at the sky. Ray's star, Evangeline, seemed to shine brighter than any other star in the sky. He could almost believe that she was so close that he could reach out and hold her in his hand. Such a thing, however, was impossible and never going to happen.

"It's easy to talk to you, too," Dragon whispered, so softly he wasn't sure he said it out loud or not.

* * *

 **"A feeling so close, you could reach out and touch it. I never knew I could want something so much, but it's true."**

 **That one paragraph with the star is sorta metaphorical. Props to anyone that gets it.**

 **Thanks again to Greymon for your help and the info on Dragon! You're awesome:) Check his and Prism's stories. Worth a look;)**

 **Please leave a comment or review.**

 **P.S.**

 **For anyone wondering on the next chapter of Disney is Loco for Coco, that is almost ready. Just trying to make it perfect. Planning people's reactions are not easy.**

 **Thanks for reading and remember to work hard for your dreams! And not to make deals with shady strangers. In fact, if you see a stranger, remember that it's danger.**

 **P.S.S**

 **If anyone has read the Burning Maze, PM me.**


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